Concord College

Sports Pitch & Amenity Grassland Design & Construction

Turfdry recently handed over its largest ever single project: a £750K 'feasibility, design and build' project of new sports pitches and amenity grassland at the prestigious Concord College, Shrewsbury. The handover was the product of three years of close collaboration between Turfdry and the College, which saw the firm reach the Final for the 2017 IOG Contractor of the Year award, which aims to recognise ‘those who demonstrate a strong client relationship, high professional attitude and attention to detail’.

Concord College’s Bursar, Barbara Belfield-Dean, first approached Turfdry in June 2014 with ideas to develop ‘Hall Meadow’ - a 32-acre agricultural field directly in front of the college’s historic main building - into sports pitches and other recreational areas. Following initial meetings, Turfdry was employed to undertake a feasibility study; this involved topographical surveying, digital 3D land remodelling, a Ground Investigation Report via specialist geotechnical consultants, and detailed project cost analysis.

The development of Hall Meadow was part of an overall expansion plan that incorporated new teaching and residential blocks, plus car parking, which generated requirements for new foul and storm sewers that needed to cross Hall Meadow. Consequently, Melvyn Taylor took the prime role in a client-led multi-disciplinary team involved with the playing fields, comprising architects, landscape architects, planning consultants, a sewerage consultant, another building contractor, and QS firm Faithful & Gould.

Turfdry’s design proposal was well received by the client. It provided all the required sports pitches, designed to suitable gradients, in a visually attractive and user-friendly layout. The proposed landform also addressed peak-storm flooding of residential properties on Hall Meadow’s western boundary: an existing problem caused by surface water run-off from the agricultural field. Turfdry also purposely engineered the design so that no soil needed to be brought onto or removed from site, to minimise the project’s impact on the local community. A planning application was submitted in April 2015, and approved in October following Sport England endorsement.

The scheme had been fully costed by Turfdry, which was duly appointed to undertake the project construction that commenced in spring 2016, following archaeological investigations. The extensive earthworks using GPS-controlled machinery involved over 25,000m3 of topsoil strip, over 25,000m3 of subsoil ‘cut & fill’, and a large attenuation lagoon. Land drainage systems of varying intensity for different parts of the site were installed using the ‘Turfdry Drainage System’, followed by: stone burying; sand spreading and amelioration; cultivation; lagoon hydro-seeding; seed-bed preparation; and sowing using five separate seed mixes for different parts of the site, including two wild flower meadows. The pitches were seeded in September but the client’s late decision to ask Turfdry to replace an existing foul sewer delayed the flower meadow seeding until October. Turfdry maintained the site - undertaking: mowing; fertilising; selective herbicide; and aeration - until handover in July 2017.

The Institute of Groundsmanship was appointed to undertake independent monitoring of the project. IOG’s West Midlands Regional Pitch Advisor, Kevin Duffill, made eight official site inspections during the project and produced three reports; awarding Turfdry the highest marks following assessment at handover based on the IOG’s Performance Quality Standards.

Testimonial

"Thank you for the huge amount of time and effort that you have put into preparing the documents, contributing to numerous e-mail discussions, and for the advice given. Everything you have done is much appreciated, and we have benefitted enormously from your expertise. "

Turfdry used a wide range of specialist equipment during the construction project - seen here stripping the topsoil layer from the site, in view of Concord College's main building, against the backdrop of the Shropshire countryside.

The construction of an attenuation lagoon that will be fed by the drainage system as part of the wider works at Concord College; the levels for construction are accurately translated from design into reality through the GPS laser-control mechanisms fitted to the construction equipment.

The installation of the unique Turfdry Drainage System sees the drain fed into the trench as it is cut, whilst excavated spoil is deposited into a tipper trailer running alongside the trenching machine. A comprehensive drainage system was designed and installed onto the pitches and amenity grassland, with the spacing of the drains varied in accordance with each area's proposed usage to optimise cost-effectiveness.

A view of the College's main building, behind the completed Lower Sports Plateau, which - following precise construction and careful maintenance - provides beautiful facilities in fitting with the College's heritage and the natural beauty of the surrounding area.